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However the book is well written with the author exploring the past and present of the Uskervan matriach, a character who has been sidelined and treated a bit coldy in most of the previous stories. Richard Lee Byers however does a good job of exploring the character and adds plenty of exciting action to boot. To top it all off the book ends with a happy ending, something which always leaves me with satisfied feelings at the end of a book.
All in all this book is pretty good by the standard of most Realms novels and despite some credibility gaps as to what the characters do, is really pleasing (along with the other stories in the series) for the way in which it threads all the characters and stories together in a way that we grow attached to them and feel as if the family is really changing through the tests it has thrown at it (kinda like a soap opera I guess).
With the standard of the first 3 books in the Sembia series so high, I can barely wait for the next addition to the series "Black Wolf" to be released in December.
If you've read other SEMBIA series stories and books, you'll find old friends and if you have not, you'll make some mew ones. Though this book is part of a series, its story is complete.
Buy this one. You'll have a rousing good read!
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For example, I think we've all heard about the power of compounding--and how it can turn a modest savings into a significant nest egg over time. However, very few people take this to heart and apply it to their daily money management decisions, because they feel it requires too much work or they feel helpless in controlling their expenses. What the authors do is demonstrate, by using specific examples and crunching the numbers, that even minor expenditures today can have significant economic impact down the road. They show that by making certain choices early on in one's life, nearly ANYONE can build a fortune in America. It truly doesn't require a genius or lots of luck to become rich today. Moreover, the authors point out that one doesn't have to sacrifice all of life's pleasures or live like a pauper in order to achieve financial security. All it takes is a little prudent savings and investing. If you believe in the opportunity to achieve wealth in this country, but have trouble getting motivated and taking action, this book is for you.
The chapter on investing is excellent. The authors explain how trying to beat the market is futile, and "safe" returns can be riddled with risk over the long haul (due to inflation). If you believe that you are just as capable of managing your investments as paid experts, you'll like this book.
Most people aren't aware of the return on education; I know I went to college just because it was the thing to do (and my parents wouldn't have it any other way ;) This book describes how increasing one's education level can substantially affect (negatively and positively) one's earnings. It's very interesting reading.
What this book also emphasizes, that most other financial advice books neglect to mention, is that living a good lifestyle is not only satisfying but also FINANCIALLY rewarding. Practicing good ethics enables a person to feel good about him/herself (leading to a more productive life), and making healthy lifestyle choices extends your life (thereby allowing the power of compounding to work longer). If you want validation that doing the right thing and living responsibly is rewarding emotionally AND financially, then read this book.
The only point that I have a minor quibble with is: getting married is good for wealth building. I understand what the authors are trying to say, which (I think) is: being in a committed relationship and having a contributing partner can accelerate the wealth building process. However, I don't believe that the actual marriage contract is necessary for achieving wealth. While marriage may help some couples stay together, it can also provide a false sense of security for others (causing them to stop working as hard on maintaining the relationship). Some people choose not to get married because they have no desire to produce offspring, others do it to avoid the "marriage tax penalty". I think unmarried, committed couples are just as likely to build significant wealth (and live fulfilling lives) as married couples. Anyway, I'm being technical here, and what's important is that the authors do get their point across.
I really liked this book, and I am practicing all the principles described in it. I find my peace of mind higher than ever, knowing that I'm well on the path towards a secure future.
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Long review: I enrolled in an Art History course with no idea what I was going to get as a textbook. This book is well-written, intelligent, informative without being overly esoteric, and above all beautiful. The prints are generally in color and always well-reproduced. Historical context is always provided, which gives a solid background for anybody looking to learn about the time any artwork was created. The text also offers insightful commentary about each piece selected for display. This book is so good, in fact, that it's become known as the semi-official Art History 101 textbook. Even if the history's not your thing (and for crying out loud, why not?), the book provides untold hours of beauty.
One word: perfection.
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Unfortunately, he misses in a couple of important areas.
First of all, he shares many of his beefs with CRM failures, but doesn't go into nearly enough detail on how to avoid those problems. The book is called a "Survival Guide," but it is really more of a meandering definition of CRM and a superficial view of "how to" handle a few specific issues.
Secondly, he is clearly biased towards "operational CRM" - at one point going so far as to say that marketing automation is a "trojan horse" and that database marketing is "not even close" to CRM.
If you're just starting a CRM project for the first time - and your CRM project is mostly sales or service automation - then buy this book. If you're more advanced, or implementing back-office CRM (i.e. a data warehouse, marketing automation, data mining, or integrating across channels) then look for something else. Another good "basics of operational CRM" book is Michael Gentle's, "CRM Project Management Handbook."
The book is written in a readable style (often irreverent and funny) that gets the salient points across. Company leaders and decision-makers should read this one before undertaking CRM -- or if you need to chart a correction course, it's insights will help.
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The drawings are filled with action, and the details on the characters are wonderful. My only gripe is the pacing of some of the pages. This books sometimes goes on for a couple of pages without any dialog. This is great for the action scenes, but also makes it somewhat difficult to follow. Did the giant explosion happen before or after the sword swing? This isn't a huge problem, but I had to take it into account.
When its all said and done, though, I definitely plan on picking up the new additions as they come out.
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The artwork and book design make this a fun and easy read, akthough some diagrams seem sketchy and overly simplified, such as the designs for the Danger Room and the Blackbird. Topics that every fan is aware about, such as the Weapon X project or Cyclops powers are covered in depth, while subjects that I really wanted to see more of, such as the Age of Apocalypse and Onslaught are given two pages respectively! More discretion and sensiblity on the part of the editors would have been helpful.
The Marvel Universe is byzantine to say the least, drenched in overly convoluted stories, mishmashing mutants with cyborgs, aliens, gods, magical powers, time travel; along with conspiracies, twisted romances, deaths and resurrections: only a bureaucrat at IRS would be able to follow them through. But if anyone else has managed to make sense out of it all, it's DK in this book, ULTIMATE X-MEN.
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The story begins when two men make a fishing expedition into the hinterlands of Ireland. Near a tiny hamlet called Kraighten, the two encounter some of the strange local people who speak an unknown language. Further strangeness ensues when they realize that much of this area does not appear on any map. The two men explore the surrounding area, stumbling over an old garden near a yawning abyss. Then they discover the ruins of a large house on an outcropping of rock. While exploring these remains, one of the men discovers a damaged manuscript in the wreckage. Taking the book with them, the two travelers head back to camp, but not before experiencing some serious reservations about the area. A bubbling lake nearby scares them, as does unsettling sounds coming from somewhere in the vicinity. After hightailing it back to camp, they begin to read this mysterious journal. What follows constitutes the bulk of Hodgson's book, a deeply disturbing tale about an anonymous man who lived in the house and who experienced a series of events unexplainable by any rational means of discourse.
Some years before, this man lived in the house with his loyal dog and his spinster sister. He was a loner, more interested in spending his time reading books or rambling around his large gardens than throwing parties or hanging out with the local population. One night while lounging in his study, the man undergoes a strange out of body experience. He is transported to another dimension, where he finds an exact replica of his own house on a vast plain surrounded by enormous statues of deities, scary creatures who look like pigs, and a luminous mist of unknown origin. While this might be enough to scare any sane person out of his or her wits, our man continues to stay in the house after his astral experience.
More eeriness ensues: the nasty pig creatures crawl out of the abyss forming near the house and attempt to invade the premises. Closely following this horror is an inexplicable episode, which makes up most of the book, where the owner of the house experiences a breakdown of the very fabric of space and time. Hodgson writes about these events in minute detail, outlining every aspect of this fabulous trip beyond the limits of sensory perception. 'The House on the Borderland' ends with no fixed answers about the creepy manuscript. Moreover, the author makes sure to have the manuscript trail off in the middle of a horrible event, leaving the reader guessing as to the conclusions of this strange tale.
It is not difficult to see how this story influenced several big names in the horror business. Lovecraft definitely borrowed some of the themes here to create his Cthulhu mythos. The detached method of having the horrors told to us through a strange manuscript also finds expression in several other supernatural tales written well after Hodgson's book. In this respect, 'House on the Borderland' is a groundbreaking work worthy of continued reprinting. Any fan of Lovecraft, Blackwood, or any of the other godfathers of horror needs to read this book if for no other reason than to get a glimpse into where their favorite authors cribbed ideas from. This tale is not as scary as certain better known horror stories, but it does occasionally deliver some effective shocks to even the most jaded horror aficionado.
One of the book's failings was the author's attempts to depict the breakdown of time. This section reminded me of H.G. Wells. Moreover, this part of the story seemed to run on forever. I wanted the story to get back to the scariness of otherworldly beings and supernatural horrors.
Hodgson's book is a necessary read. Do not go in expecting straight horror, but acknowledge that you are about to read a great mix of several genres. Without William Hope Hodgson, who knows where the horror novel would be today.
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However, the ideas changed quickly as the Hulk left and teamed-up with the Sub-mariner to fight his former allies and was replaced by Captain America, a World War 2 hero frozen between then and the 60s. And then again, to suddenly have all the original members depart, leaving Cap with Hawkeye, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch, three super-villains seeking to reform, as his teammates.
The stories in this volume represent a fairly diverse bunch, showing both the best and worst aspects of Stan Lee's writing at the time. Interesting team dynamics, where the characters are not always each others' friends, villains with motives beyond the banal, references to events in other titles, secrets and subplots that aren't resolved in a single story all show the hallmarks of a writer seeking to develop a loyal following. At the same time, we have blatant sexism and racism, villains with banal motives and some very hokey dialogue.
The art is OK, the early Jack Kirby issues not his best work, and I've never been fond of Don Heck's art. It seems a little odd to be reading these stories in black and white, although this obviously keeps the price down.
If you want to see how one of the best super-hero team series started out, get this.
"Essential Avengers vol. 1" captures the first 24 issues of the classic series, scripted by Stan Lee and illustrated by Jack Kirby and Don Heck. If the first appearances of Kang the Conqueror, Immortus, and the Masters of Evil aren't enough for you, pick this collection up for Avengers # 4, the return of Captain America. This alone is enough to mark a substantial return on your investment for this book.
Highly recommended to all comics fans and X-Men fanatics who need a primer in how team books used to be written.
The first two parts of this book are a change from what we've expected from the Hulk in the past and let me tell you that change is sometimes a good thing. In this case, it's a great thing. Bruce Banner/the Hulk gets caught in a web of a secret organization's conspiracy and he is on the run from their notorious agents. While this sounds like a cliche, it's really not -- a big part of why it's not is, well...how many cliched conspiracies include the Hulk in them? Yes, the Hulk and Bruce Banner are strong enough characters to make even an ordinary-seeming plot really, really good.
It's a new twist on an old concept that just works out well.
As for those looking for the classic "HULK SMASH!" version of our brute, this book's got PLENTY of that in here thanks to Banner (by Brian Azzarello and Richard Corben). There are also a few scenes where the Hulk destroys many things in the other portions of the book, too.
It's well balanced between the Hulk's classic destructiveness and fugitive ways. The only difference is that it's seen through a new, fresh perspective. It's different. It's cool. But, most importantly, it's good. And that's reason enough for you to buy it.